Rookie Tailgate Tour

Scott Sigler and me.

Scott Sigler is on a book signing tour across the country to promote his book, “The Rookie.”

For the few people reading this who are unfamiliar with The Rookie, here is the synopsis:

STORY SYNOPSIS:
Set in a lethal pro football league 700 years in the future, THE ROOKIE is a story that combines the intense gridiron action of “Any Given Sunday” with the space opera style of “Star Wars” and the criminal underworld of “The Godfather.”

Aliens and humans alike play positions based on physiology, creating receivers that jump 25 feet into the air, linemen that bench-press 1,200 pounds, and linebackers that literally want to eat you. Organized crime runs every franchise, games are fixed and rival players are assassinated.

Follow the story of Quentin Barnes, a 19-year-old quarterback prodigy that has been raised all his life to hate, and kill, those aliens. Quentin must deal with his racism and learn to lead, or he’ll wind up just another stat in the column marked “killed on the field.”

Yesterday, Saturday, September 12, 2009, the Rookie Tailgate Tour went through Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since G.R. is only two hours from us, I decided to go down and hang out with the F.D.O.(Future Dark Overlord) and some of his fans. A nice surprise for me was that there were some Variant Frequencies fans there as well. I got to meet Scott’s mother, sister-in-law and some nieces and nephews.

Scott’s brother is the coach of the Jenison Wildcats. Jenison is one of the smaller cities near Grand Rapids. His father is an assistant coach there as well.

On this day, Jenison was playing at neighboring Grandville. So, Scott made this part of the tour a true tailgate party. It was fun. About a dozen fans showed up along with Scott’s family members. Nice casual gathering.

Then we went to the football game. We got to the game early in the second quarter. Jenison was already down by 7-0. Grandville went on to score another touchdown and a field goal to make it 17-0 at the half. Things were not looking good for the team that we were cheering on. Then came the second half. The second half was like a totally different game. The Jenison Wildcats came to life. They scored 20 unanswered points. Final: Jenison Wildcats 20, Grandville Bulldogs 17.

I had a great time hanging out with Scott. He is not only a great writer, he is a nice guy. Don’t let his online persona fool you.